The girls (above) were hospital nurses in the Kaohsiung district. We met at Chi Jin Island where I was in serious trouble following an accident in 2004. I still owe them heaps of thanks but have misplaced an email address.
Tag Archive: kaohsiung
This was as close as I came to the ship today – she looks to be about 200 feet in length, and probably uses a fair bit of fuel. The press report today says Esperanza is sailing to the northern port at Keelung where the ship will be open to the public next weekend, then back to Kaohsiung for the following weekend for another open to the public day.
Their current project is ‘tuna fishing in The Pacific’. There’s a ‘big meeting’ in Guam next week to set quota limits and rules for the industry.
“Statistics provided by Greenpeace (to Taipei Times) show that 60% of the world’s tuna come from the central and western Pacific Ocean and that Taiwan has about 1,600 fishing boats in that area. Of the 2.5 million tonnes of tuna caught in that area in 2010 only about 10 percent was caught by Taiwanese ships”.
Recent improvements include: the removal or safe containment of all asbestos; fitting a special fuel system to avoid spillage; newly fitted, more efficient, diesel electric propulsion; on board recycling of waste water, leaving only clean water pumped overboard; a waste based heating system; bilge water purifiers,15 times more effective than current legislation demands; TBT-free hull paint; ammonia based refrigeration and air-conditioning rather than climate changing and ozone depleting Freon gas – the first Dutch registered vessel to be so fitted; and an environmentally and economically efficient propulsion system to reduce CO2 emissions.
A new helicopter deck has been added, as well as special boat cranes to launch the inflatables.
Specifications
Port of registry: Amsterdam, Netherlands
Former Name: Echo Fighter
Date of charter: 2000
Number of berths: 33
Inflatable boats: 2 large rigid hull and 4 small inflatables
Helicopter capable: Yes
Type of ship: expedition/research
Call sign: PD 6464
Built: 1984 Poland Gdansk
Gross tonnage: 2076 BRT
Length o.a: 72.3m
Breadth: 14.3m
Draught: 4.7m
Maximum speed: 14 knots
Main engines: 5.876 BHP, 2*2.938 BHP Sulzer V12
This was at the Gushan Ferry Wharf bus stop. Bus No. 248 runs constantly between Kaohsiung Main Station bus stop on a loop that includes the ferry, Fisherman’s Wharf, International Market Place, Taipei Museum of History, Bank of Taiwan etc.
Bus rides in Kaohsiung cost a standard NT$12 regardless of the distance to be traveled – correct change of one ten dollar and two one dollar coins, pay driver upon entering bus.
Kaohsiung Tourist Night Market <HD VIDEO – Click title to play
This is the night market featured at the top (masthead) of this blog – that original picture was in 2003 with a 5 MP Sony digital, a just released camera.
Clicking the picture should enlarge it – also view the HD video of my Facebook friend selling his Turkish ice cream. The expression on his customers faces is priceless. Good entertainment value with an equally good product.
Both pictures show the same street food restaurant.
The food shop (above) had a unique device to remove excess cooking oil from the food. It was a mini-spin drier much like that in laundromat’s – designed especially for a kilo of food. Same eating house is shown in the top picture – far left side. Food was good with an optional hot spice that is possibly their secret mixture?
People love shark – for one thing there are no bones. The rule expert sea lovers have is ‘eat small fish when possible’. It’s a good point to remember. At ‘Seafood Street’ the corner restaurant (shown in the top picture, on the left) Mark was honest and helpful. The sardines had eggs and would be delicious – which they were. The asparagus was crisp and tasty. At NT$100 each dish with free rice it’s very good value and therefore highly recommended.
I don’t read many Chinese characters so this menu on the wall was a waste of time for me. I spotted fish and rice at the counter behind glass. The fish cutlets were Spanish Mackerel (OK when the fish is small – avoid large-sized cutlets as this species is a known source of a tastless and non lethal but nasty thing called ciguatera – that few doctors would recognise the symptoms of ).
I had a small part of fish, white rice, cabbage, garlic tofu and a fried chip that was either sweet potato or maybe taro. Good tasting. With a packaged drink of black tea the cost was NT65 – all for about $2 in Australia/USA. Prices in this city are about 15% lower than Taipei – or less.
At Kaohsiung Main Station catch bus 248 Have correct change for fare NT$12. Bus is more convenient than MRT but if you must catch a train it will be to MRT station O1 (the first, or last station on the ORANGE line).
Entrance to the ferry which runs every few minutes between the mainland and the island. Scooters use the lower deck. Passengers upstairs. There are two ferries running a shuttle service back and forth. It’s a short journey over calm waters.
Arriving at Cijin. (There are a few variations on the spelling of this island’s name). Rent a bike from the shop in front of the ferry station, pictured here. NT$100 for all day (until 7pm).
Leave a drivers license and your local mobile phone number as an ID.
You are now set to explore the island. The bike shop will provide a map.
Re lunch or dinner. There are plenty of seafood shops in the main street but the best is a few kilometers down the ‘beach front’.
It’s the best value seafood in Taiwan that we know of.
How to find this no-frills ‘restaurant’ will be described separately plus other worthwhile stops.
October was still a bit hot in the sun. Dress according to the weather.
For the return trip to Kaohsiung Main Station you’ll go to the same bus stop where you alighted earlier that day, 50 meters from the ferry entrance (not shown here but to the left of the picture).
Follow these simple instructions. Even if you don’t speak one word of the local languages, you’ll get by.
We wish to reward this person for her kind assistance at Kaohsiung, in August 2004, while walking along the beach, with her friend, another nurse. Both are good Samaritans.
